


Firewalking

by meiqis



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: M/M, semi-mafia because I can't do dangerous shit for real
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-05-24 18:39:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14959985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meiqis/pseuds/meiqis
Summary: Zhengting's family is involved in illegal businesses and when it becomes too dangerous, they send him to live with his new personal guard Lin YanjunBasically baby boy Zhengting missing his family and looking for comfort from his housemate who curses that he was hired as bodyguard and not a babysitterUntil feelings are added in





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Based on [this prompt](https://twitter.com/ynjuns/status/1008404180363427840) because I can't resist gifts

Being the favorite child was a privilege and it was something Zhengting had realized quite soon, not because he was getting all the attention from his father or because he had been promised to overtake the whole empire of their family business, not because he received the most expensive gifts where his two half-brothers didn’t, not because he was all this and that but exactly because he wasn’t.   
He knew he was the favorite because he had never needed to learn about weapons and fighting and how to kill a man-empty handed and instead been allowed to pursue whatever hobby he had wanted, although he’d bet that at the end of the day he and the other two boys had been equally exhausted because dancing was training and while there wasn’t anyone else to ruin his body, it was he himself who ruined it gradually, overstretching tendons, breaking his toes and breaking his nails, arching his back to the point he was sure he’d suffer spine injuries later in life and he hadn’t cared right there, hadn’t even cared about rules like not running or anything else because it was bad for the feet of someone doing ballet until his dad had gotten him a new trainer and he had been forced to do exactly that to train his stamina to not damage his muscles during performances, had been forced to swim laps when the weather was bad outside in that pool in the basement, and it had been tiring at first but he hadn’t been bothered because at least while jogging every morning he had time to catch up with his brothers who were so unlike him.  
He knew he was the favorite because he didn’t receive tutoring at home but was sent to some elite schools that cost more money in a month than a normal person earned in a year and he didn’t mind much because he still made friends, because studies were demanding but fun and if only it weren’t for maths, he would be amongst the top of the class too but he never received any scoldings, received only praises and questions whether it had been a day well spent and as long as he could agree he knew it was fine.  
He knew he was the favorite because he wasn’t sent to bars and clubs with his brothers while needing to stay sober and be all serious but because he could dress up and drink and party, dancing with strangers and enjoying the attention, could flirt around and he knew that if anyone actually dared to cross lines, his brothers would be first to literally hold a gun to their temple and make them apologize on their knees because he not only was his father’s favorite but also his brother’s and he was conceited enough to drown in this kind of attention he received because it was all that pleasing and fluttering and whenever his younger brother had to carry him home after his legs were tired from dancing and his steps wobbly from drinking, he kept telling them how much he loved them and adored them and with his face buried against his younger but taller brother’s back he knew that both were looking fondly and not the least like the business they lead.  
He knew he was the favorite because they all had received a black card from their dad but only he had been allowed to put it to endless use, resources apparently unlimited and Zhengting knew because he had tested it out more often than not, had swiped it maybe hundred times in a day’s time, had spent thousands and not once had his card been declined but his closet had grown, grown and grown, until his father had emptied out the guest room next to his one, had renovated the wall to include an entrance, had meant to spoil his son to the point he had the biggest closet of them all with not a dressing table but a dressing wall, with accessories and jewels neatly stored in drawers and displays in dressers in the middle of the room and a beanbag chair thrown somewhere into the middle because sometimes sitting in his closet and working there was more relaxing than in his bedroom where he might get disturbed.  
He knew he was the favorite because he had been the only one born from love and not from advantage and it made him happy where he shouldn’t be, because he was aware it wasn’t ideal but nothing about their family was ideal, because he might be the child of a prostitute and born in a brothel before his father had taken him in, from a woman that had been killed by the whoremaster overdosing her on drugs so she wouldn’t act up again and it had been that man’s mistake in doing so because not long after his brain was splatters against a wall with his father holding a gun but he liked to think it was a merciful death still, it was better than the first wife, a marriage to encourage the alliance between two overseas families and it would’ve gone well if not she had been kidnapped, tortured, killed, and all while his older brother had been a toddler who only knew how to cry, and he wanted to envy his younger brother because his mother was still around, alive and well, and despite how she had been wronged, how Zhengting had been born from another woman merely two months before her own son, how her husband had so openly cheated on her with a woman who didn’t want to stand by his side despite his devotion and love, she had been nothing but gentle with all of them, treated them all alike, or maybe she wanted to.  
Because he knew he was the favorite because he was the only one able to take his mother who hadn’t given birth to him to the cinema and to dinner and although he could be all that, he never took advantage because there were traditions he loved and he kept and he didn’t want to abuse like the monthly family day spent in amusement and water parks, in arcades while dragging around their parents and always acting as if these men in suits following them discreetly weren’t a thing because in childish naivety they had just wanted to have fun.  
Because he knew he was the favorite and he never abused it because the five of them sitting at the dining table together each and every evening, with rare occurrences in case of an emergency, were better than seeing the outside world and trying all the foods in all the restaurants with his mother who wasn’t his mother because family was more important than his own selfish wishes and he was selfish often, he spent too much money on clothes and he partied too hard and he enjoyed all the freedom his brothers hadn’t, but he always returned it all, because he brought back presents from shopping while arriving in a car too stuffed, because he bought dinner from restaurants to the dismay of their cook because he knew they couldn’t just eat outside, because he never went to theme parks and zoos on his own because that was a family tradition that he wouldn’t lose.  
Because he knew he was the favorite but they also knew he favored them too much.


	2. ONE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zhengting gets a new home and we find out this family is sappy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank Em for the family member suggestions lmao

Being the family’s favorite, with all the freedom he had ever wanted and the ability to do whatever he wished to, he wanted to give all of that up this very day when all he could do was stare down at the city through the overly dramatic walls of glass replacing outer walls of a building that was supposed to be his new home, all too spacious and too big and he knew his father had chosen it because he needed room and he needed space because he was an active child and it only saddened him further. The fact that half his clothes and accessories and jewelry and makeup had already been transferred to this new place and his new closet and that the whole of this semi-loft was entirely to his liking was making it only worse for him right this moment because it had merely been one day he was apart from his family but he already missed them.  
“For my sake, my ass,” he whispered into the space between his knees that he had pulled tight against his chest, curled up on top of a couch that was too soft and too new, looking at a city that was too close and too bright because he wasn’t used to seeing all the lights from that high up while located in the middle of town instead of the outskirts with their luxurious family mansion that always seemed to be striving with life.  
He should have been suspicious already before, when he had seen how more and more people had paid his dad a visit, when security had grown tighter, when the air while having dinner had seemed more tense and heavy but he had remained oblivious the way he always had been because his family had always kept him out of business and he hadn’t spent too many thoughts on it but now that his family was literally keeping him out of it by sending him off to another part of town and into a new home he hated that they had always been all that protective of him to the point he couldn’t even sit such situation out with them anymore.  
And he wanted to believe he was fine and that he was doing well but he wasn’t at all and all the resolves about just using this time to focus on his studies in university and find new friends and make up to those had repeatedly turned down because family dinner had always been more important than going drinking until he had accompanied his brothers on a job and been able to enjoy parties when he had been all alone on the dance floor but always aware of the watching eyes of his brothers that made sure he was safe, that no one was touching him the wrong ways and that carried him home piggyback with his legs too weak from dancing and his steps too wobbly from drinking.  
He should do all that and let go of his hurt, taking a deep breath and finally relaxing his posture, trying to talk himself into that it wouldn’t be that bad, that it was only three months, he could survive for that long and on his own, he would still be able to go on morning runs - but maybe also not because the streets smelled of cars and gas only - and he could still dance anc still go to parties - maybe even with friends this time around - but all his resolves came crumbling down when he saw his phone ringing, name of his younger brother showing up and without hesitation he was already clicking the green button to whine, “Bu Fan! Let me go home, I miss you all!”  
“Zhengting, we miss you too,” his younger brother immediately replied, resignation in his voice evident because their bond was all that strong, and he knew that his brothers and his mother and his father probably missed him as much as he missed them despite the little time they were apart and it only seemed to be confirmed within a second’s time, “Huba does too!” The punch the younger received was basically audible and the sounds of their little fight were for sure, rustling noises until another voice greeted him, “Zhengting, don’t worry about it so much. You need to make the best of it when you’re already able to, alright? We’ll make sure to settle things quickly and then get you back here.”  
“But it’s too quiet here,” he could only add solemnly, because he knew that both his brothers were right and that father always settled things quickly but never before had there been a need to be sent off and away, frustrated to no end that he was rather dispatched somewhere else instead of locked in at home which would have been way more to his liking and that he hadn’t been grounded but received a new home meant it was way more serious than his brothers wanted him to believe. He might have been oblivious before but for sure he wasn’t dumb, he could merely sigh softly as he listened to his brother trying to reassure him, felt worry weigh down his heart, and some more minutes passed during which he listened well before he whispered, “Just… just stay safe and get me soon.”  
“Zhengting…”  
“We will get you for sure!” Bu Fan called out, always first to want to protect him when at the same time it would be him to run first once the middle brother broke into a fit, screaming and yelling and it had happened only three times so far, because maybe scarier than someone openly dealing with… whatever it was, was someone who always looked bright and innocent and penguin wobbled through hallways of heavily armed guards while making everyone his friend and companion to the point no one was surprised he was the favorite anymore.  
It was the last thing he had heard before the beeping sound signaling the end of their call was resounding in his ear, echoing within the emptiness of his new loft and frustrating him only further because he was alone, all alone, and slowly it dawned on him that he had no idea how to be alone in first place because he had always been surrounded by his family and their work that he had never been part of and suddenly he needed to deal with it all on his own…

Instead of crying, because that really wasn’t manly, he rather had spent more than half the night practicing a new dance, perfecting moves in - as he had expected it to be - the practice room on the upper level of his new place, all spacey down below with a design more befitting of a loft, and more organized upstairs, with a grande bathroom that had taken his breath and a closet disappointingly small compared to his earlier one, with a bedroom perfectly designed and morning lights coming in, with a practice room somewhat small but enough for just one person alone, and with a guest room he had not yet figured out a use for but that had taken him by surprise when he had seen how there had been suits hung up in the closet and a workplace set up with passwords that weren’t his so he hadn’t even been able to figure out what it was for and it was suspicious but he hadn’t dared to ask.  
Hadn’t dared and had forgotten because he had been woken up by his alarm to a body too sore and muscles aching from overdoing it in his frustration but he had to get up, had to shower and dress himself in ways he wouldn’t look pitiful at all but he could assume that he needed to wear his heaviest-in-coverage concealer gave away quite well how soggy he actually felt and how bad the circles beneath his eyes had been before he looked all perfect and put together the way he was supposed to, getting into a car that was as new as his home and exactly his style so he needed to hate it all the more, setting off to one of the usual places he went to for brunch.  
But the fact that he didn’t just go there for breakfast and the coffee he so urgently needed but to actually meet his mother, and he really hoped she would show up because he wouldn’t be able to bear with losing even that, losing their tradition of eating together in this restaurant every Tuesday forenoon as their version of family day out. His relief must have been obvious on his face, already seated at their usual table, had ordered their usual drinks, when he saw the young-looking woman arrive, looking as rushed as he was by fastening her steps and his arms immediately wrapped around her lithe figure, keeping her close to his body because even if she wasn’t related to him by blood, it was still the woman who had raised him well and he needed it, after all his worries from the previous day, after suddenly being told to move somewhere else, no explanations, no furthers words, just the sorry words from his father that came along with a gentle, warm, and long embrace, the keys for a new car, the keycard for a new home, and the promise to resolve it as fast as possible, after spending the first night alone in a place that he had to call home now, he would have come crumbling down in a public place because he wasn’t able to take all of this at once and when losing the tight hold of his family.  
“It must be hard on you, Ting,” she said softly, caressing his hair gently before she parted to sit down again, instantly smiling when seeing how the tea she liked so much was already placed on the table and went on to pour some honey into it, “We’re not exactly fair by suddenly kicking you out of the house and I’m myself not too clear about the situation but you need to stay strong, okay? Your brothers would be upset if you lost your smile because of us.”  
“But you’re not part of it either! Why aren’t you staying with me then?” He knew he was nearly whining already, so much to keeping up his act and trying to act strong, but to someone who had never been away from family for too long and who had never needed to be all on his own, this was really too much in too little time.  
Listening to her sigh softly and with all the empathy and love, he already knew he had lost right there, because she wasn’t someone to sigh unless it was so utterly hopeless and she felt sorry indeed, making it all the harder for him to be upset with her despite also feeling left alone. “Because I chose this life, sweetie. When my father told me about this marriage, he gave me two options to choose from and you know that. But your father, he knows you never had an option and if it hadn’t been for your mother’s profession…”  
“So he tries to protect me now because Xingjie and Fanfan will take over either way,” he whispered silently, looking down into the coffee while destroying the perfectly foamed milk with his spoon, could already hear his father’s usual words, that it was better for Zhengting to stay out of it because to protect their brother, to have someone to ground these two, it would be an impossible task for them to ever break it off, because even if they would end up fighting, it was their common love for their fairy of a brother that they would never allow the family to come to ruins.  
Some moments passed in which he could hear the turn of papers, as if they didn’t know the menu in and out already, moments he knew she was granting him to calm down again, to carefully wrap the memories of his real and blood-related mother up again and put them into another corner of his mind, calming his nerves and taking a breath, before he signaled by raising his head that he was ready again.  
“Talking about protection,” she started gently, softly, and he knew something would come up, something he didn’t like, but he had no choice and he knew, so he only raised his eyebrows to have her explain and she did, she so perfectly did, “Your father hired a bodyguard for you. Because then at least you won’t be all on your own and he already sent you away but we can never know what might actually happen so he wants a Plan B. He will join a bit later so you can get to know him but your father really put in effort to get you the best of the best so please don’t be too upset with him, alright?”  
Whether he wasn’t supposed to be upset with his father or his new guard he wasn’t too sure, could only try to smile gently to ease her nerves, slowly nodding his head as he asked, “He joined later because you didn’t want to interrupt our mother-son time?”  
“Because I didn’t want to interrupt our mother-son time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You expected Yanjun? You thought
> 
> catch me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/zhengjunist) and ask stuff on [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/dadting)


	3. TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short and I'm sorry but update is update! (insert finger guns)

“Is that all the clothes you own?” Eyebrows furrowed, hands erratic, brushing through suit after suit after suit in that meager closet of the other man who had just dropped a leather duffel bag on the bad, not making the kind of sound clothes would make so he decided to just ignore it, act as if it never had happened, before he spun around to look at the older with questioning eyes. Part of him was actually feeling satisfied, all these suits were high quality, great cuts, would sit tight in all the right places and emphasize his figure, but the thing was, after one day of being trailed by a man wearing an Armani suit, in a university department where he already stood out because he didn’t dress in jeans and sweatpants alone, and with the temperatures of spring turning summer, it wasn’t unprepossessing at all.  
So much to not attracting attention by walking into the mansion of a family involved with illegal traits but then being stared down by dozens of eyes because his guard was too good-looking and for sure didn’t fit in, until he had dragged him into the bathroom, had torn at his shirt to get it out of his pants, had stuck one of the front halfs back in for a fashionable look again, had gotten rid of the tie and the jacket, had opened buttons and glared him down because how could someone possibly say he was the best when he didn’t even know how to look inconspicuous?  
And the worst was, that that guy hadn’t even reacted much, he never showed much of a reaction to anything, had spoken anything but two words - his name - during that brunch with his mother, had only started the shortest of conversations to declare he’d be the one driving the car and not the other way around, had told him they’d stop by the convenience store for fresh ingredients for dinner, but getting undressed by someone else, having a stranger hand shoved down his pants, watching someone else undress right in front of him, all these hadn’t fazed him at all and it was frustrating, because so far he had always managed to make his dad’s new guards and employees crack a smile at him within a day because he was that charming, was the fairy in a household of demons and jokers, and he had never been disturbed by that.  
Now he was disturbed, because this guy seemed like a way oversized ice cube, with cold eyes and stern face and that darn suit actually looked good on him, giving Zhengting the craving to just throw them all out so he wouldn’t need to suffer this sight anymore that surely would become too much after a few weeks with that man alone, and the thing was, he was pretty sure that guy would look absolutely stunning when he smiled - but he didn’t. So he was upset like a little child, wanting to stomp his foot but distracted by words entirely.  
“I never needed any other kinds of clothes before,” the older said, and Zhengting only knew because he had seen his file, the shortest overview possible, just stating his height and markings and age and specialties and these specialties might’ve just been three pages long because who even managed to do all that stuff in such a short life? Who learnt a dozen fighting styles and how to handle useless stuff like sabers or went to a survival camp in the jungle, that guy was crazy for sure, crazy and utterly good-looking.  
“Well, now you’ll need them,” the younger replied stubbornly, smashed the closet doors close and looked at the other, and really, he wished he hadn’t, because he had been right with his suspicions on that duffel bag, that it wasn’t clothes that were kept inside, and seeing the many weapons perfectly lined out and sorted, the very same way he would sort his makeup and brushes while travelling, small nets and rollable cases and elastics to fix them in place, except these weren’t tools to make people prettier on the surface but rather to destroy their surface entirely. At least killers weren’t shallow by only relying what they could see because way too soon red that wasn’t supposed to be seen would be revealed either way, quite the focus on the inner values.  
Frozen on his spot for all but a second, he snapped his fingers a few times to get the attention he well deserved again, taking shape in beautiful dark orbs being directed at his face and he would’ve enjoyed it more if only it weren’t for that cold expression they held. “Starting tomorrow morning, before we head out anywhere, you’ll show up at my room and I’ll get you some things to wear until we’re able to go shopping for real. Now I’m hungry and you promised to cook so shall we?”  
He was all bright smiles and trying to be warm, tried to forget that hatred he had harbored just some hours ago with a man so utterly dense to be walking around with a proper suit in this weather and maybe he had appreciated his kinds of manners, unbuttoning his jacket and closing it again when getting up, a detail he had enjoyed watching, but that this man hardly even talked to him, not to mention that he resembled him more of a glacier than a human, was truly just upsetting and frustrating, why couldn’t he have gotten a loud and obnoxious and entertaining and vivid bodyguard? Why did they all need to always look stern and ready to kill, which they probably were either way, and so entirely out of place in any situation the least bit entertaining.  
Going ahead, he didn’t see the somewhat perplexed expression, didn’t see the eyeroll, could merely jump down the staircase in joy with the first stop being the wine shelf, looking sad and disappointing in comparison to the one at home, at the mansion, but he could still stock up on them all later while now he would just enjoy his favorite, with the corkscrew in his hand and ready to make use of the voice control, when there were rough hands replacing his in an ever so unexpectedly gentle way, pulling out the bottle top with ease and actually knowing where to find the appropriate glass so he could drink properly.  
“What? No pre-tasting this?” Zhengting asked playfully, grabbing the newly arranged glass before he walked around the kitchen isle to take a seat, watching curiously as he already took a sip from the wine, humming satisfied at the taste that was always ever all that captivating.  
“In case of me getting poisoned, you’d be defenseless. If you get poisoned, I still can save you by getting you to the hospital. And if it was someone’s plan to just knock you out and kidnap you then, how do you plan to get them off on your own? It’s better you get poisoned and saved than me.”  
“So it’s like the oxygen masks in planes.”  
Finally, he celebrated to himself, there was a reaction, incredulous look over the edge of the counter because his guard had crouched down to get… whatever it was, he didn’t care much as long as it meant he’d get food and could drink his wine and now he actually had to wonder about it, whether he was supposed to take care of himself entirely now, or get taken care by that oh so lovely guard of his, or whether there would come further support, ever the spoiled child who hadn’t before needed to learn how to cook or how to clean up and there was nothing but relief washing over him when seeing the explanation in a message, the group chat with his brothers, telling him that they’d take care of it, would inform dad to look into housekeepers, because he was the favorite and he was spoiled indeed.

Around half an hour later, he was actually surprised by the kind of dish Yanjun had been able to prepare, pasta that smelled like the ones from high class restaurants, some fresh salad, protein coming from marinated eggs and he was sure he had somewhere around also seen a dessert being prepared but hadn’t yet pried, with the other settled next to him at the kitchen isle, steaming plates and perfectly prepared sides, it might have just been one of the best meals he had had in a whole while up to the point he had eaten more than he should and until everything was gone, huffing lightly as he got up with his glass. “I’ll take care of the cleaning tomorrow. Do you want to watch a movie?”  
And maybe he needed to change his mind about the older, because despite his declaration of cleaning up, well knowing that he didn’t even know how but there was a dishwasher to use so why would he worry, he could hear the clinking sounds of plates and tableware, shuffling steps and finally streaming water so he could only assume the dishwasher had been started because it was only minutes later his new companion of some sort joined him on the couch, handing over a bowl with dessert indeed, with ice cream and crumbled up cookies and whipped cream and… chocolate sauce. Silently he peeped at the bowl in a stranger hand before demandingly holding out his free one, if the spoon was ignored, only to be met with an intrusive gaze, making him sigh and whine and kick his legs because he was already tipsy before he demanded, “Give me yours! Yours has strawberries instead of chocolate and I hate chocolate!”  
Credits were earned, because Yanjun only gave him a short glimpse, looked at his bowl, and then exchanged them silently before he held out his hand in return, not even looking as he said, “You got my fruits and I’ll get the remote. I won’t watch a cringey romance movie like this.”  
Maybe he was spoiled, quite spoiled, because he had always made his brothers watch the movies he wanted and there would have been those times when Bu Fan had sappily cried along with the movies and Xingjie had commented how it was all too unrealistic, how Zhengting had cuddled up in between them and fed on his snacks until he was done for and later, when they had all been legal, because even involved in illegal businesses there had been rules to be kept, they at times had added alcohol into it or looked for comedies to make drinking games on them and it had always been the best, all snuggled up on the couch and it must’ve looked amusing as he had judged on their mother’s face whenever she had come in, seeing her blood-related son in his overly fancy mink robe, seeing the family’s favorite in his striking and bright and at times childish clothes, a spot of light in the dark of the room and stuck between his darkly colored brothers, and Xingjie in his silk pajamas that always perfectly matched and still would make him look good and somewhat professional even when he was called out for a meeting in the middle of the night.  
But snacking on his dessert, watching some action movie with overdone effects, and being more than just tipsy, he missed being able to cuddle up to his brothers, missed them already so much when it was merely the second evening on his own, and with a dessert eaten and the bottle close to be emptied, he was already curled up in a blanket and hugging a pillow, watching a man who looked really too pretty to be a guard like this watching a movie that was older than him, and he couldn’t help but wonder whether he would ever be able to have such moment with this person in which he would finally be able to bridge his loneliness or whether it would always be like this, staring at an ice cube with dazed eyes and thoughts somewhere in a delirious state while missing his brother and the warmth of home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Praise me for letting Yanjun show up already
> 
> Or talk to me about how crappy this is on [twitter](https://twitter.com/zhengjunist) and curse me out on [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/dadting)


	4. THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zhengting going shopping? Escalation is planned

As fun as it had been, dressing up Yanjun for three continuous days, just so his bodyguard wouldn’t stand out too much, because these darn suits, no matter how good looking, they would have stood out, it had also been tiring, needing to think about what clothes would fit that man, considering their sizes weren’t exactly the same, despite their height still being rather similar, their frames were too different, his own slender and lean, the other built and strong, no way would they fit entirely the same clothes, not to mention style, he was pretty sure that man wasn’t going to dress in high waisted loose pants nor tunic blouses, and so on.  
So this shopping trip, now that it was weekend, it had definitely been needed, throwing one piece of clothing at the older after another, telling the employees to always deliver new things to the changing rooms, and sometimes he really had to thank all his money to be treated a VIP already, with too many staff members knowing him already, treating him well, yet they had raised their eyebrows at him, when seeing him walk in with someone else, not choosing clothes for himself for once.  
He had already bought a lot, he was aware of that, all paid and waiting for him to be picked up, all black jeans and designer tees, leather jackets and trimmed fur coats, with expensive accessories thrown in wherever he saw fit, and at the end of it, he was sure of that, no one would be able to say they had a bodyguard with a better style than him, he was certain that would be impossible, not when he had already spent so much on clothes that would be an all-kill no matter what, the combinations outstanding even when an idiot would need to choose an outfit for themselves.  
Except he was certain that, although Yanjun hardly owned any of these clothes himself, he had quite the eye for fashion, to be able to choose such classic and stylish suits, to have the money to cover for the perfect fit, it was actually quite impressive, so it only left him wondering, why this guy had no other clothes, what he wore on his days off, just how he had planned to survive.  
“I take that belt and the sunglasses for him,” he finally said, tapping against the glass display, indicating which ones he wanted, before he turned around, heading for the changing rooms instead, no hesitation in pulling open the curtains, looking at his bodyguard mid-change, with a shirt he had just been about to take off, but Zhengting simple signed him to stop.  
“Looks good on you,” he admitted, too distracted by the fashion, the trousers that hugged his legs in a relaxed fit, the deep blue of the shirt contrasting his skin, especially with so many buttons undone, it must have been a habit of the older, to rather open all those buttons, instead of pulling fabric over his head, “We’ll take it. Try on the other things, we need to buy you new shoes next.”  
There was no time for the icy stare of the other to fully hit him, not when he had already pulled the curtains close again, escaping any kind of response, protest, to instead go looking for things he liked, not that he hadn’t done so the weekend before already, and before that, knowing the store better than maybe even the employees, all the stores, to be exact, but he didn’t even mind, on days without his family, at least it was less lonely, doing something he liked.  
“Add that in my size,” he asked the lady, the one who had followed him for his whole stay now, in charge of fulfilling whatever request he had had, pointing at some pants and a shirt, not even waiting until she was done, way more intrigued with knowing how the victim of his craze was doing, having to bear with his shopping urges, at least, and that was the bright side of it, that frozen klutz was receiving a bunch of expensive clothes for free.  
“Ah,” he just remembered, turning around to look at the female again, with his eyes sparkling bright, showing her a charming smile, “Tell my companion to leave on the trousers and that blue shirt. And give him that belt too. I’ll be waiting at the counter to pay then.”

At least five more shops, to get Yanjun some shoes fitting to the outfits too, and a bag, and this, and that, they had arrived somewhere Zhengting could enjoy himself now, looking at new makeup products, trying to find the things he hadn’t previously bought, new things, looking through arrivals, testing things, but eventually, after a whole while of looking around, it wasn’t much he bought, some more skin masks, after realizing he had run out, a new moisturizer to try out, and eventually he stopped in front of the perfume section.  
“You use one?” He asked, tilting his head as he looked at Yanjun, in that very way he knew would get anyone weak, feeling something crash inside him now, when that icy gaze remained frozen, looking at him, at the piles of perfume, before he just turned around to leave, stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist.  
“Listen, princess,” the older started, eyes so cold looking at delicate digits wrapped around his bare arm, up to that beautiful face, with orbs so big and clueless, and hardly he could refrain himself from rolling his eyes, “Carrying a scent means one more clue to finding me. And don’t say anything about using it only for the time being, creating a habit is easier than breaking out of it, so no.”  
But if anyone had ever tried stopping Zhengting, they would have soon realized, it was quite the useless act, an unnecessary attempt, he always went through with it, with whatever he wanted, whatever he planned, because he was the favorite, he always got his wishes fulfilled, all his needs met, so this time, too, despite the scary gaze, despite wanting to just run away, he put on a smile, reached for the perfume he wanted, and declared, “It’s an order!”  
Before his choice could be taken from him, he dodged out of reach, moving over to the counter to pay, the items soon disappearing in his bag, the perfume in his hands, though, letting the employee unwrap it, while he stored his credit card again, signing for his guard to come closer, and it must be quite the interesting sight, now that he considered it, it must have been fascinating all day long now, how he had kept ordering the older around, made him follow gestures and orders, how he paid for all these clothes, chose them, and on a whim he turned towards the lady, who had just finished pulling off the plastic wrapper, to ask, “What would you think my relationship with him is like?”  
“Sir?” The woman asked confused, looking at him a bit startled, but eventually, after showing another of his charming smiles, he could see the flush spreading along her cheeks, lips parting in embarrassment, and if only he was into women, he would have thought it was quite charming, endearing even. “Maybe… a very… beneficial relationship…?”  
She seemed to have been taken aback by the question, adding to his amusement, at least until his guard had arrived next to him, tilting his head back by force, by Zhengting placing two fingers beneath his chin, and he could see the burning glare, or the freezing version of a burn, so cold it already hurt, as the scented liquid was sprayed against golden skin, the intensity of spices filling the air, clouding the older, and he waited just some more seconds, before letting go, perfume dropped into his bag, and he winked at the lady, seeing her startle, a farewell, before he looked for a new destination already again.

He found it a few floors up, on the rooftop of the mall, settled beneath a shade, glasses covering parts of his face, as he nipped on his cocktail, watching his bodyguard from behind his cover, knowing his eyes wouldn’t be seen, so he took his sweet time, watching that face rather fit for a magazine cover than to get beaten up, parts of an exposed chest from that shirt being buttoned messily, kind of chest that made him drool, with collarbones highlighted perfectly by the sun, getting him intrigued, what it’d be like to touch them, drive his hands along them, trace them slowly.  
Yanjun, still, was sitting rather stiffly, ready to jump at any given time, making Zhengting sigh, apparently louder than he had thought, because the older gazed at him, eyes burning into his despite the tinted glasses, as if his orbs were highlighted as the bull’s eye of a target, making him shiver lightly.  
“You should relax,” he pointed out, nonetheless, resting his head on his palm, perfectly avoiding messing up his makeup, as he watched the man opposite him, merely having that cup of coffee, because he was still driving, but thinking about it, while he had drank a bottle of wine nearly everyday, or at least a glass, his housemate had never once touched it, making him consider it for a moment, whether it was that whole “no clouding my senses” matter. “We might be out right now, but no one can get through the security downstairs with a gun nor weapon, not even you were able to carry them along. There’s also no possibility for a sniper to take me out, it would attract too much attention, not to mention that we’re in a dead angle and too many people would block their sight. So can you maybe not sit as if you had a stick up your ass and try to look normal instead?”  
Whatever exactly the older was feeling with these words, it wasn’t entirely obvious, wasn’t depicted on his face, and it made Zhengting more uncomfortable by the second, clenching his hand beneath the table plate, trying to hide his nervousness, not knowing whether it would backfire or not, but he relaxed, seeing how Yanjun did indeed lean back, crossed his arms on top of his chest, with black irises still focused on his own. “You’re smarter than I thought, princess. I didn’t expect you to actually consider such matters.”  
“Had to,” he answered simply, shrugging his shoulders, slowly stirring in his glass with the straw inside, listening to ice cubes clink against the frame, “Why do you think I chose this seat when I could have just watched the city instead?”  
Raised eyebrows were all he received in return, making him sigh internally this time around, finding more solace in focusing on his phone and his drink instead of that frozen icicle, looking for distraction, some fun, not just icy silence and eyes burning into his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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